The Search for the Egyptian Destiny
by melodyfireprincess
Summary: Melody turns into Yugi, and the real Yugi is gone! Where did he go, and why? Mostly Yu-Gi-Oh characters but a few from other shows come to help solve the mystery.
1. Changes

Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh, Pokemon, or Cardcaptor Sakura. I think Maurru is from a video game, but whatever video game it is, I don't own it either. The plot is mine and my friend Kanago's. This story is written by: mostly myself, with a lot of help from Kanago, and Shigaru (two lines) with ideas by: myself, Kanago, Shigaru, Maurru, Lee, and Ryan. I own my characters Melody, her brother, and Dan. My friend Shigaru owns Shigaru. My friend Maurru doesn't own Maurru, but I modified him anyway. My friend Lee doesn't own Lee or Ham-Hams. Or Hamtaro. Madison (Tomoyo for you original- lovers) is from Cardcaptor Sakura and Misty is from Pokemon. My friend Ryan owns Ryan.

Technically, if you want to go that far, I don't own Melody. I got the name from Pokemon the Movie 2000. Other than that, she's based off of me.

A/N: Please, no flames. I know this story sucks and there are reasons why I'm posting it anyway.

1\. It's the first fan fiction I ever wrote.

2\. You can use it as a reference to see how far I've come since then.

3\. I told the real life Kanago, Shigaru, Maurru, Lee, and Ryan (and everyone else involved) that I would.

There's an extremely long sort of behind the scenes story behind how this fanfic actually came to be in the first place, but you really don't need to know all that. On with the story!

How it All Began

Melody Takiashi was a normal girl of thirteen years old. On the eve of her fourteenth birthday, she had a sleepover and invited her best friend, Madison, who was also thirteen. Everything was normal, until that night, or technically, the next morning. Melody and Madison got into their pajamas and unrolled their sleeping bags. Mrs. Takiashi turned out the light, and the two girls fell asleep talking in the living room.

The Change

The next morning, Melody, or who she thought she was, woke up early, ate breakfast, watched TV, and finally woke Madison up because she was so bored.

"You look… different," Madison said slowly. "Did you change your pajamas?"

"No," Melody said.

"Did you use hairspray?"

"No," Melody said.

"Did you dye your bangs blond?"

"No!" Melody said.

"Well, you sure look different. You should look in a mirror," said Madison, grinning.

"Are you playing a trick on me? Cause I don't get it." Melody turned toward the mirror in the living room, closed her eyes, and walked toward it. She opened her eyes. "Aaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

Realization

Melody had turned into Yugi! Her cute blue eyes had turned purple, and her hair! Augh, it was so… so… up!

Madison frowned. "You're not Melody, are you?" she asked.

"I thought I was," Yugi replied.

"What happened?" Madison asked.

"I… I have no idea," Yugi said.

"Hopefully it will wear off," Madison said.

"Yeah. Madison? Have you ever turned… male?"

"Of course not, Melody," she said. "Oops! I mean… Yugi."

"Well, now what?" Yugi said.

"Hmm. Yugi?" Madison asked.

"Yeah?"

"Well, if you've transformed from Melody, then how come your brain isn't different?" Madison pondered.

"What do you mean?"

"You know me. Before today, Yugi didn't know me. You're Melody's brain in Yugi's body."

"I see what you mean."

Just then Mrs. Takiashi walked in. "Aah! My baby!" She ran towards Yugi. "Who are you?!"

"Uh, I'm Melody. I turned male, Mom."

Madison gave him a sorrowful look.

Mrs. Takiashi gave him the ol' eyebrow raise. He could see she wasn't buying it. "Uh, I gotta go," Yugi said. "Bring Madison home. See ya!" So Yugi and Madison set out for home.

"Do you even know this boy?" Mrs. Takiashi asked.

Madison nodded quickly. "Gotta run, sorry. Great party, though! Thanks for inviting me!"

"There is definitely something suspicious about this whole situation," Mrs. Takiashi said.

On the Run

Even though they had cleared Melody's street, Yugi broke into a run, Madison hot on his heels.

"Yugi! You could hide at my house!" Madison said.

"Why would I want to do that?"

"You saw how your mom freaked! Besides, the girls think you're cute at school, and the guys would laugh if you showed up in a skirt. You can't go to school! I'll just tell you what you missed."

"Okay…" This wasn't the end of the conversation, but Yugi didn't quite know how to respond to that yet. "Let's go," Yugi said.

Madison told Yugi to go to the back door while she came in front. That way she could keep her mom busy while she sneaked in. Yugi opened the back door quietly, and dashed inside. He found a room decorated with cream colors and purple accents. This had to be Madison's room. Plus, there were video cameras and video tapes everywhere.

'Now what?' he thought.

A few minutes later, Madison entered her room. "Hey, Yugi! Are you in here?" she stage-whispered.

"Yes," Yugi said. "I'm behind your bed."

Madison walked around the bed and saw Yugi.

"Now what?" Yugi asked.

"I don't know…" Madison said.

"I'm bored," Yugi said. "Let's go for a hamburger!"

"You can't go out in public, remember?" Madison reminded him. But Yugi had already grabbed Madison's arm. They hopped out the window.

An Old Friend

"Where are we going?" Madison asked.

"To Burger Paloosa!"

"In your pajamas?"

"I can change when we get there."

"Into what? You didn't bring any extra clothes, and I haven't had time to make you any."

"It's not a big deal, Maddy."

Madison frowned at the name, but didn't let it bother her. There were more important things to think about. Besides, it was probably a side effect of the transformation. "Do you know the way?"

"My feet do," Yugi said. "I think they've been along this road so much that they just know."

Madison raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Muscle memory. Because I'm in Yugi's body, even though I don't know how to get there, I still can."

They walked in.

"Welcome to Burger Paloosa!" A bright brunette with blue eyes welcomed them to the burger joint.

"Hi, Tea," Yugi said. "I want you to meet someone."

"Madison?!"

Madison came out from behind Yugi.

"It's you! It's really you!"

"Tea!"

"Long time, no see!"

"Right back atcha!"

"You know each other?" Yugi asked.

"Yes. We're old friends."

A moment of silence passed, then Yugi asked, "Anyone wanna tell me how you two already know each other, or are you gonna keep me in the dark?"

Tea and Madison grinned at each other. "We'll keep you in the dark for now," Tea said, teasingly.

(A/N: This part's a little spottier than usual. The reason for that is because a page is missing. And I took it out on purpose- I originally elaborated on the fact that I had Tea and Madison be old dance academy classmates and they went to their old dance academy building and showed Yugi their old routine. I figured the story was better without it, took it out, and then patched the other two pages together.)

The Secret's Out

It was night when Yugi and Madison dropped Tea off at her house.

"Yugi, do you want to walk to school with me tomorrow?" Tea said.

"No! Yugi can't go to school!" Madison shrieked.

"Why not?"

"Because…" she sighed. "You'll never believe me, but… this isn't Yugi."

"What?!"

"It's a long story. Basically, my friend Melody turned into Yugi. Her brain is in his body. Yugi can't go to school in Melody's place."

"That's not a problem. He's Yugi, so he'll go in place of Yugi," Tea said. "And tell the Tomoeda school staff Melody's absent."

"Okay. I didn't think about that, but Yugi grades will change if it's actually Melody's brain inside. Yugi Moto didn't know me before today. Melody did. The brain didn't change."

"Guys, I'm right here," Yugi said.

"That's a little freaky. But he- she- um… _he_ still needs an education." Here she finally acknowledged Yugi's presence. "Wanna walk to school tomorrow? I'll make sure everything goes smoothly."

"Well, I can't miss school," Yugi said. "So, sure! I might as well."

"That's the spirit, you sound like him already," Tea said.

Yugi groaned.

At Least Nothing Else has Changed

The next day Tea came to Madison's house to pick up Yugi. The three of them walked to school together since their schools were right next to each other's. Tea and Yugi dropped Madison off at Tomoeda (Pre-K to eighth grade) and went to their own school.

"I'll show you around," said Tea. "Follow me."

Suddenly Yugi spotted a white-haired figure coming towards them. "You must be Bakura!" he said.

"Have you forgotten me that quickly?"

Tea stepped between them. "Nice going," she stage-whispered to the fake Yugi. "Yugi's not himself today…" she told Bakura.

"Hey Yugi!"

"Huh?" Yugi turned around.

Joey and Tristan ran up to Tea, Yugi, and Bakura.

Joey grinned. "Bet your day got better now that you saw us!"

"Bet it just got worse now that you said that," Tristan said.

Tea giggled.

Joey pitched a fit.

Another Friend Joins the Fray

Yugi didn't do so well in class. Tea showed him around and tried to help him with his schoolwork. Joey and Tristan just goofed around all day, and Bakura just laid low, as usual.

That weekend Madison and Yugi were at the mall together. Mai spotted them and headed towards them. "Is this a date?" she asked.

"No," Yugi said. "We're just friends."

"Hey!" Madison said, frowning. "It could have been. By the way, you're Mai Valentine, aren't you? It's very nice to meet you! I'm having a party tonight. Would you like to join us?"

"Alright, so long as Rex doesn't show up."

"You got it!" Madison said, but she thought, 'Who's Rex?'

The Confession

Tea, Joey, Mai, Bakura, Tristan, and of course, Yugi, had come over for the party.

"Snacks!" called Madison's mom from the kitchen. Joey and Tristan rushed out of Madison's bedroom. Joey and Tristan were clung to food like stars to the sky. Tea and Bakura followed, making sure Tristan and Joey didn't eat too much too quickly. Mai, Madison, and Yugi were left alone in Madison's room.

Suddenly, Mai noticed Yugi's eyes were turning from purple to blue, and his hair was going… down.

"Yugi!" Mai screamed. "YUGI! AAHH! Look at yourself!"

Yugi looked in the mirror. He was changing back to Melody!

"Yay!" Madison squealed.

Mai stared at Madison like she was a nut. Joey, Tea, Tristan, and Bakura burst into the room. "Yugi! AAHH!"

"Augh! Yugi, what's going on?!"

"I'm turning back! Back to myself." Melody smiled. "I'm actually a girl. The name's Melody."

Joey's jaw dropped.

"One morning, I just woke up as Yugi," she explained. "I thought it was permanent, though. Madison and Tea have been helping me with a lot."

"They've been helping you be an imposter!" Joey cried. "What happened to Yugi!"

"Actually, that's what this party is really for," Madison explained. "It's a search party."

"Haha, I get it," Melody said. "Nice."

"So where's Yugi?" Joey asked.

"Uh…" The smile disappeared from Melody's face.

"You killed him, didn't cha?!"

"Now Joey, don't jump to conclusions. Give the poor girl a chance. She's been through a lot," Tristan said, still visibly shaken.

"I don't know where Yugi is," Melody said. "But I hope you find him. I'm going home. I have a lot to explain to my parents."

Someone's Watching Over Me

"Good, good," Yami Yugi said to himself. He had been hiding, following Madison and Melody wherever they went, seeing how Melody had been coping with this change. 'I know who can continue my legacy if anything should happen to Yugi, it's kind of weird that she's female, though. Wasn't expecting that, but it is done! I will pass my puzzle to Melody.'

Home Again

Melody entered her house.

"My baby!" her mom said. "You're back!"

"What happened?" asked her father.

"Uh… I turned female, dad."

"What?"

"It doesn't matter right now. Our baby is back!" Mrs. Takiashi cried as she hugged her daughter close.

"It's good to be back, mom," Melody said.


	2. Yugi's Death?

What's This?

By the next month, Melody and Madison had made a new friend, Misty, and all three of them had become cheerleaders. They called themselves the three M's. One day they were cheering on Melody's younger brother, Rick. He was playing a video game that he wasn't really good at, so he needed all the cheering he could get.

"That's alright, that's okay, you can do it anyway," Misty, Melody, and Madison chanted.

Suddenly someone busted through the window. Melody's brother stayed calm. The girls, however, did not.

"Aaahhh!" Misty, Melody, and Madison screamed. The person that had busted through the window ran through the room and dashed away. All Melody saw was a white blur streak past.

Yugi, Tea, Joey, and Tristan jumped in after the white blur. Yugi fell to the ground. Tea gasped. Yugi was heaving loudly!

Melody, Misty, and Madison stared on at the group a few feet away. As Yugi took his last breath, he seized his millenium puzzle and threw it to Melody. She caught it and stared at it. Misty and Madison looked at it and then each other.

Melody was puzzled. What was this thing? It looked like an upside- down Egyptian pyramid with an eye on it. It looked kind of… freaky.

Obituary

The next morning Madison and Misty ran into Melody's room, waving a newspaper. "Melody! Look at the obituaries section!" Melody, Misty, and Madison looked at it together.

"Born June 4, 1989 in Domino Town, Japan, Moto left us on October 2, 2002. He is survived by his grandfather Solomon, his parents Kazuki and Masami, and his younger sister Maril. He enjoyed playing games and hanging out with his friends. He will be remembered by his family and friends as heroic and kind-hearted, never fighting back when bullied in school. Services will be on October 5th at 10 o'clock at the Domino Cemetery in Domino Town. Arrangements were made by Domino Funeral Home," Madison read aloud.

"Oh my gosh!" Melody said. "That's under Yugi's name!"

"There's something else," Madison said, reading on. "It's about your item! Look!" Madison pointed to a spot on the paper.

"The will will be read on December 8th. Moto requested, however, that before the reading of the will, one thing given will be announced. His millenium puzzle shall be left in the hands of a girl named Melody Takiashi."

That night, she had a pretty odd dream. She swore she heard the spirit of the millennium puzzle calling out to her as she slept. "You must learn to take Yugi's place… You must learn to turn into Yugi…" Melody woke up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat. At first, she thought it was just a dream, and shook it off. Then, the voice came back in her waking hours. "You must take Yugi's place." Shivering, she stayed up all night staring out of her bedroom window, spooked. Finally, after hours, her eyes closed on their own and she slept fitfully.

Puzzle Practice

Melody woke up early the next morning and tied her hair back in a ponytail with a bandanna. She wore jeans and a weird shirt to make her look more like a boy. "Alright, Spirit. You're going to have to help me on this. Okay? Is that alright?"

"Yes, Melody, I am. Okay, listen carefully. You cannot become me without becoming Yugi. You shout me-lo-dy then after you are Yugi, if you need to become me, you shout yu-gi-oh! Got it? Now try it."

Melody nodded. She took a deep breath and shouted, "Me-lo-dy!" She closed her eyes. When she opened them, she was Yugi.

"You did very well, Melody, now try me."

"Alright. Yu-gi-oh!" She closed her eyes again and opened them again. After a few moments, she was Yami Yugi!

"Good, now let me do this part." She was herself again.

"That's enough practice for today. If you remember that, then that's all you need to know."

A few days later, Melody was still practicing to get the hang of the millenium puzzle. She could feel that someone was watching her, although Yami Yugi did not confirm or deny her suspicions.

The Funeral

The funeral was awkward for Melody because she really hadn't known Yugi all that well, but she was becoming more intimate with him every day I ways she didn't want to think about. Most everyone kept away from her just because they didn't really know her too well. She felt out of place.

The casket was closed. Yugi's grandfather, father, and mother were standing by the coffin with Joey, Tristan, and Tea. Melody remembered the obituary mentioned a sister, but she was nowhere to be found. Melody found this extremely odd, but if anyone commented on it, it wasn't to her.

The funeral was as beautiful as a funeral could be. Everyone cried over the loss of Yugi. He had been a wonderful person with a beautiful soul. Melody wondered, though: if he was really dead, how was she transforming into him, even if he was only a conduit to transform into the ancient spirit?

Damage Control

Later that day, Melody went to Tea's house. She knew the way. On her way, she picked up Madison.

"I wanted to tell you that I'm sorry. I didn't mean to frighten you and the others at that sleepover Madison had while I was Yugi," Melody said. "Pass it on to Joey and Tristan and everyone. Also tell them they are invited to my party this weekend. You're invited too."

That week Melody told her friends about how she could use the puzzle and that there was some mysterious figure stalking her, and that she had a plan to catch whoever it was.

The Catch

That weekend, Tea, Joey, Tristan, Bakura, Mai, Madison, Misty, and Melody were in Melody's living room, sitting in a circle on the floor.

"Who could it be?" Tea asked.

Joey snapped. "It could be Yugi."

"We all went to the funeral," Tea said sadly. "Yugi is dead."

"He's the kind of guy who can surprise ya," said Joey. Melody was surprised. She thought she had been the only one to think that.

"Don't forget my plan. It's time to put it into action!" Melody said. She turned the light off and sat on the sofa. "If you hear anything move, turn the light on quickly," she said. Joey was closest to the light.

"That's it? _That's_ ya brilliant plan?" he asked.

"I'm not a genius, you know," Melody said.

Mai was sitting on the opposite side of the sofa that Melody was sitting on. Melody didn't notice someone was moving in between them, but Mai did. Joey turned the lights on. Nobody was there, but the door leading to Melody's room was open.

"We've got -whoever this person is- cornered!" Melody cried.

"But the window, Melody," Bakura reminded her.

Melody smiled. "The window broke years ago, there is no way out except for this way."

They ran into her room. A small figure was standing in the middle of the room. It was the one person they knew it couldn't have been.

"Told ya so!" Joey sneered.

Tea gasped. "It couldn't be, could it?" They circled the figure.

"I told ya it was Yugi!" Joey laughed.

Yugi smiled. "Thanks for protecting the puzzle for me." Melody tossed it back to him. "Maybe the spirit can help you understand. Yu-gi-oh!"

"Let me explain," said the spirit. "When Yugi dies I need someone to carry on my legacy. I was testing you, Melody."

"_When_ Yugi dies?" Tea's eyes started to water. "You mean… it's inevitable?"

Yami nodded. "I'm sorry, Tea."

Tea broke down sobbing.

"That explains a lot," Tristan said.

"Indeed it does."

Yugi just gave a big smile. Tea knew there was something different about him, but she couldn't put her finger on it.

Hours later…

Yugi and Melody were alone in her room while the others ate snacks in the kitchen. "Melody, can you keep a secret?"

"Sure, Yugi. Anything."

"The reason why I seem so strange to everyone is that the spirit is starting to act evil."

"What?!"

"Don't tell anyone, you understand?"

"Yes, I do, but you need help."

"No, I'm a fighter, I'll survive, trust me."

Melody was very bummed out at this secret. Later she sought some guidance. "Tea, what do you do if you knew something that could kill someone, but you promised not to tell anyone?"

"A promise is a promise, Melody," Tea said.

Just then, Yugi walked into the room. "Tea, can I talk to you alone?"

"Sure, Yugi."

Melody thought to herself, *Be careful, Tea.*

He led her out to a balcony. He stopped, took her hands, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. "Tea, no matter what happens to me," he said. "I will always love you."

"Yugi." She gasped. "I never knew you felt this way."

Yugi dropped to his knees as if someone punched him in the stomach. He looked up and shouted, "Yu-gi-oh!"

Yami Yugi had a particularly evil look on his face.

"What have you done to Yugi?" Tea demanded.

Yami Yugi never responded. He grabbed her and French kissed her. Between each breath, she screamed. The rest of the gang ran out to see what was going on.

"Yugi, what's going on?"

*Spirit, you're getting out of hand.*

*No I'm not, I rule your body and now you can do nothing to stop me.*

*No, you can't do this, not to them!*

*Well, just watch me.*

Tea stood up. Yugi walked back and jumped over the railing. Yugi took control for a second, just long enough to toss the millenium puzzle over to Melody. They heard a crash. They all looked down to see that regular Yugi was lying in the road with concerned people around him.

Bakura thought for a moment.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Flashback Mode~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In a warehouse, a rare hunter had just battled Yugi. A fire had broken out, and Bakura had rushed there. The evil one had taken a piece of his spirit and put it into the puzzle.

"Here, Yugi." Bakura tossed him the last piece he needed to put it back together.

The flashback ended and he focused.

"I'm sorry!" Bakura said.

"So _you_ did this," Tristan concluded.

Bakura gulped.

"Yes," he said. "When Yugi was in that barn that was on fire, trying to put the millenium puzzle together."

"Okay, Bakura, how are you going to fix this?" Tristan sneered.

"First, we get the puzzle back to Yugi," Melody suggested.

"How is that going to help him now?" Joey asked. "He might be dead!"

Tristan grabbed Bakura by his neck and dangled him off the balcony.

"Tristan, no!" Tea screamed, tears streaming down her face. "This won't bring Yugi back!"

"Fine." He brought Bakura back onto the balcony.

They walked to the hospital. Yugi was in Room 6 on the first floor. Tea knocked on the door, trying to find courage. The nurse was sitting near Yugi. He was half awake, and sipping some orange happy juice. The nurse got up and left the room.

"Yugi, you okay?"

He gave a faint smile. "Yeah, I'm okay. I'm a little sick, though."

"Yugi, do you remember anything?"

"No, I don't. I remember telling Melody something, but that's it."

"How could you survive a fall like that?"

"Fall?"

"Yes, you fell very high up from a balcony."

Yugi just faintly smiled, almost a frown.

"Here Yugi, you'll need this." Melody put the millenium puzzle around his neck.

"Thanks, Melody."

"You're welcome. Yugi, are you positive that you don't remember anything else?"

He just shook his head. "No, I don't even remember what I told you."

The doctor motioned Tea, Tristan, Joey, Melody, and Bakura to step outside. "It's truly amazing, Mr. Moto's recovery."

"Why is it so amazing?"

"Because nobody could have survived that fall."

"He only shed blood, nothing else."

"How odd."

"Yes, beyond belief actually."

As soon as the doctor left, Tea turned to Melody, Joey, Tristan, and Bakura. "Can I talk to Yugi alone?"

"Sure, Tea." They went off to find the cafeteria.

She slowly walked into the room. His eyes were closed. "Yugi?"

His eyes opened and he faced Tea. "Yugi, can I tell you something?"

"Sure, Tea."

"I want to give you something that you will remember." She leaned over and French kissed him. She stood up and waited for him to speak.

"Tea."

"I will understand if you hate and never speak to me again."

"Why would I want to do that?"

"Because I just French kissed you."

He just smiled.

"Yugi, the spirit was proving a point that when he become you, he controls your body. Yami Yugi did two things that made me realize that fact. He grabbed me and French kissed me. He also got you to jump off of a balcony."

"Are you serious?"

Suddenly Tristan, Joey, Bakura, and Melody burst into the room.

Tea and Yugi scrambled away from each other, each blushing furiously.

"Did we come at a bad time?" Melody asked. She shooed the boys out, and followed them, laughing nervously. Bakura stepped forward. "I'm sorry."

"Why are you sorry?" Tea asked.

Bakura remained silent.

"I said, why are you sorry?" Tea said again.

"When Yugi and I were in that barn, I hid a piece of the millenium puzzle behind my back. I put myself into the puzzle."

At this moment Yugi was asleep, but Yami Yugi got up. He seized Bakura by the neck and pounded him against the wall.

Tea gasped. "I'll run for help, Bakura!" She ran to Joey, Tristan, and Melody. "Bakura's in trouble!" she said. "He told me that when he and Yugi were in that barn, he hid a piece of the millenium puzzle behind his back and put some of evil Bakura into that puzzle. Now Yami Yugi's got him pinned to the wall, threatening to kill him!"

"Whoa, Tea." They went back in the room. Yami Yugi turned around and dropped Bakura. He walked toward Tea and lifted her up against the wall. They met eyes for a moment or two, then he dropped her to the ground and ran.

Joey asked, "Tea, Bakura, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Me too."

Tea looked at the direction Yami ran in. "We've got to go after him," Tea said.

"Go after him!? He tried to kill me!" Bakura said. He started shaking violently.

(Bakura, I thought you said you were okay…)

"Calm down, Bakura!" Melody said. "We won't have to find him."

"I might not even live to see next weekend! Do you know how that feels?" Bakura was in full panic mode now.

"Don't worry, Bakura. You come with me. Joey, Tristan, Tea, we're doing a search around town. Joey, you go with Tristan on his motorcycle. Tea-"

Tea interrupted Melody. "I know where he is."

Everyone stared at Tea.

"No!" Bakura cried. "You can't bring him back to me!"

"Bakura! It's okay!" Melody said.

Bakura fell to his knees in front of Tea. "Please, please no. Don't look for him. Please! I want to live to see tomorrow! Please, don't do it. Don't!"

Joey thought for a moment. "We're gonna have to set up some live bait."

"No!" Bakura crumpled into a heap on the ground.

"I was talking about Tea," Joey said.

"Oh."

"I'll do it. I'll meet you back here soon," Tea said.

"Tea, I'm sorry, I don't want you to die!" "I don't want to die, but I don't want you to die either!"

"Bakura, listen, it's okay." They all nodded and watched Tea leave. Tea walked to a balcony outlooking the city. "Mind if I sit next to you?" Tea asked, not looking sideways.

"No, how did you know I was up here?" came a voice.

"We were here before."

"Tea, you should leave. I don't trust myself anymore."

"Come with me, you need help."

"No, I can't go. I dragged Yugi into this and you, too."

"I can help you, come on."

After a long pause, Yami Yugi nodded. "Alright."

Suddenly, Tea slipped and fell over the balcony. "Yami, help me!"

He slowly pulled her up over the rail. They lost their balance and fell on top of each other.

"Yami."

"Tea, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Yami."

They both walked to the rest of the gang.

"No!" Bakura hid behind Tristan. His hands were on Tristan's arms. "Help me, please!"

"He won't hurt you," Tea said.

"We meet again, Bakura," Yami said.

"Help, Tristan," Bakura whispered. "Please!" He started shivering again.

Yami pulled Bakura out from behind Tristan.

"Please don't kill me, PLEASE! PLEEEEASE!" He fell to his knees, crying and shivering. "Please," he whispered, and fainted.

Melody blinked. "Yikes," she said. She went over to him and pulled him up. She managed to walk him along, leaning his body against hers. He wasn't heavy, but she wasn't particularly strong.

Yami went back to Yugi. He fell in Tristan's and Joey's arms.

Awaken

"Yugi? Wake up, man. Yugi!"

He woke up hours later in Melody's bedroom. "Tristan, Joey, Tea?" he asked quietly.

"We're here, buddy."

"Where's Bakura?"

"He's asleep on the couch."

"Do you know why Yami is acting this way?"

"I'm not so sure, but I want to find out." Yugi jumped on the bed and went to the living room.

Bakura said, "Yugi, don't come any closer."

"Bakura, it's me."

"Yami's gone crazy now, you can't trust him."

"He's okay now, Bakura."

Bakura kept on backing up as Yugi approached. "Please! You're scaring me! Go away!" Bakura jumped behind the couch and started running. Yugi ran after him. "Waa- wait!"

Bakura ran.

Yugi ran after him.

Bakura reached the end of the hall. *It's a dead end!* he thought. Yugi had him cornered. "I have a last request," he said.

"What is it?" Yugi asked.

"If you're gonna kill me, please don't cause me pain."

"I'm not gonna kill you," Yugi said.

"Then why are you chasing me?"

"Because you keep running away."

"I was chasing you to talk to you," he said calmly.

"Really…" Bakura was excited to hear that news. "So… you're not evil anymore?"

"Well, not right now. It's Yami you can't trust. I'm sorry I frightened you."

"That's all right," Bakura said slowly.

Will You Just Keep the Puzzle Already?

The next day, Melody was watching TV in the living room when Yugi peeked in. "Melody," he said.

"What is it?"

"I wanted to talk to you," he said, coming into the room.

"Well, what is it?" Melody asked.

"Well, you know Yami's evil."

"Yes."

"I don't want him to hurt any of my friends."

Melody thought for a moment. "You're trying to lend me the puzzle, aren't you, to see what I can do? You just don't want to say it outright."

"Well, yeah."

"Why didn't you just tell me?"

"I didn't… I was afraid you would say no."

Melody smiled at him. "I'll see what I can do."

Seeing Double

Later that day, Yugi, Tea, Joey, and Tristan were in a room together, talking.

"I think Melody's destined to have a millenium item," Yugi said.

Just then, Melody walked in.

"Hey, Melody!" Yugi said, running to her. He tossed the puzzle to her. "See what you can do."

"Me-lo-dy!" she said. She turned into Yugi.

"Wow, two Yugis," Joey said. "This is creepy."

"Yu-gi-oh!" she shouted. She turned into Yami. "Hey, guys. Don't be afraid of me. What's wrong?"

"Oh, nothing," Tea said.

Melody turned back into herself and handed Yugi the millenium puzzle.

*It's gotta be Bakura that's causing this. I know it's not Melody…. I can't take a chance with my friends anymore,* Yugi thought. He nodded at the fact and walked away.

"Hey, where you goin,' Yuge?" Joey asked.

"I can't put you guys in more danger than I already have. am. I didn't think that the millenium puzzle would be such a burden to you guys, but it has." Yugi walked off.

"Yugi, ya can't leave! Not right now!" Joey screamed.

"I must leave," Yugi said.

"No! Yugi!" Tea screamed. "Where are you going to go?"

"I don't know, but I'll find out soon enough."

Then Yugi left.

"I think he really needs some time alone," Tea said. "So, it looks like we're gonna be alone for a while."


	3. Egypt

Egypt

"Let's go, Mokuba," Seto Kaiba said. He lugged his suitcase out of the bedroom.

"Where are we going?"

"Pack enough clothes for a week and something to do. Got that? Go pack," Kaiba said.

"Where are we-"

Kaiba sighed. "Mokuba, we're going to Egypt. Go pack."

"Why Egypt?"

"Because I said so. Now go pack."

"Seto, big brother…. Please tell me why, why are we going to Egypt?" Mokuba played the brotherly guilt card faceup.

"Mokuba, we're going to Egypt because there's one more millenium item left that doesn't have an owner. We're going to take it."

"But why, Seto?"

"I will reveal that later," Kaiba said.

Pyramids

Two days later, Seto and Mokuba got off the plane that had taken them to Egypt. "Where are we staying, Seto?" Mokuba asked.

"In a hotel. Tomorrow we're going to the pyramids and getting that millennium item."

"Why, Seto?"

"I told you, I will reveal that later," Kaiba said.

The next day, Kaiba and Mokuba went to the pyramids and found the millenium scale hiding in plain sight. They didn't notice that someone was hiding in the darkness.

"The ancient prophesy is coming true," he said. The figure was Shadi, the protector of the millenium items. "It is time."

The Reason

Kaiba and Mokuba boarded the plane for home. "Yugi will do anything to keep this," Kaiba held the millenium item up. "out of my clutches."

Mokuba frowned.

"So if I bribe Yugi into working for me…"

"Oh!" Mokuba said. "I get it!" He smiled at his brother.

Bribe

"Yugi," Kaiba said. Kaiba and Yami were in a dark alley.

"What?"

"We must talk." Kaiba whipped out a briefcase and opened it. The millenium scale was inside! "I was thinking of destroying it….." (Which in the long run, might have been a good idea.)

Yami looked as if he had been punched in the gut.

"…unless you work for me."

*We _have_ to do it!* Yugi mentally told Yami. *The fate of the world could be at stake.*

"I will work for you," Yami said.

"Then come with me," Kaiba replied.

Yami followed Kaiba down the street. As they faded into darkness, Kaiba tossed a trench coat over to Yugi.

"You'll need this," he said.

Betrayal

The next day, there was a tournament in Battle City. Melody read about it in the newspaper.

"We should go… check it out!" Tea said.

"Then let's go already!" Melody said. The friends made their way to Battle City.

When they got there, they saw a blimp with Yami on it! They all started screaming. The blimp flew over the buildings and a helicopter was flying overhead. Yami was in a trench coat! Their mouths practically dropped. The helicopter landed on a building not far off. They ran into the building. Kaiba and Mokuba were walking down a hall. Mokuba was holding a briefcase. "Hi, guys!" he said cheerfully. Kaiba didn't even want to notice them.

After a moment or two, Yami walked down the hall in a trench coat holding a briefcase. He also did not even notice them as he walked by. They left the building immediately, and leaning against one of the walls, they talked.

"Can you believe Yami is leaving us to go help Kaiba with his scheme?" Joey cried.

"Yugi probably has a very good reason for all of this," Tea said.

"Yeah, right, Tea, don't get your hopes up," Joey snickered. Tea remembered how close they were and realized that there had to be only one reason he was doing this- their safety.

Yami walked out of the building and was walking down the street. Yami went to Yugi, still in the trench coat and holding the briefcase. Yugi walked straight past the posse, but Joey grabbed him by the trench coat.

"Yugioh!" Yugi shouted. Yami grabbed Joey's fist and everybody heard a loud _crack_! Joey whimpered.

"YEOOOWWCH!" Joey screamed.

"You can't hurt Yugi without going through me first," Yami said.

"But that reeally hurt!" Joey said, with tears jumping out of his eyes.

"That was nothing," Yami said.

"But he jumped 8 feet in the air!"

Tristan frowned. "Oh, I get it," she said. "You've gone and turned into another Seto Kaiba, haven't you?"

"Well, it seems Yugi's friends are against me. If you only knew," Yami said.

"If we only knew _what_?" Tristan demanded through clenched teeth.

"I cannot tell you. Neither can Yugi," Yami walked away.

"Fine. I see how it is." He turned away from the group, his eyes shaded by his hair. "We won't bother ya anymore, Yugi."

"But wait," Tea said. "He didn't say we were bothering-"

"We _won't_, Tea." Joey whirled around. "Get outta here. If ya know what's good for ya. I'll meet ya back at the house, capiche?"

Malt Shop

Tea, Joey, Tristan, Melody, and Bakura treated themselves to ice cream at Malts R' Us. They noticed Yugi sitting in a booth all by himself. He was sipping a shake with the trench coat on. The briefcase was lying right next to him.

"Hey!" Melody said. "Let's go talk to Yugi!"

"He crunched my fist!"

"That was Yami, not Yugi," Tea said.

"But it _still_ hurts!" "He could turn into Yami at any time and do it again!"

"Take it like a man," Tristan countered.

"I'm not going over there!"

Tristan grabbed Joey's arm and dragged him to Yugi's booth.

"Hi!" Melody said.

Yugi remained quiet and never looked up from his shake, so they decided to sit with him. After they got the message that Yugi wouldn't talk, Joey blurted out, "Dude, why's Yami actin' like a jerk?"

Yugi finally looked up from his shake and explained everything.

I'm Leaving

Melody's jaw dropped.

"Yugi, you can't do this!"

"Yeah, Yuge, why ya doin' this?"

"Why, Yugi, why?"

"I can't let this millenium item fall into the wrong hands," Yugi said. He got up and left, his trench coat billowing after him. He forgot his briefcase.

"I wonder what's inside that briefcase," Melody said, pointing to it.

"Let's open it," Joey said.

"No," Tea said. "That would be a violation of his privacy."

"He crunched my fist."

"So?"

"So let's _open i_t!" Joey shouted. Practically everyone in the malt shop stared at Joey. Tristan opened the briefcase and saw some of the best cards in Duel Monsters! The five of them lugged it back to Kaibacorp and dropped off the briefcase at the front door.

The door opened.

Yami poked his head out. "I mean no harm," he said.

"You crunched my fist," Joey said.

"Give it up," said Tristan.

"As I told you before, Kaiba's going to keep the item for a time. When I work for him long enough, he will give it to me. I cannot talk anymore. Kaiba wants me."

Yami closed the door in their faces.

Seriously, I'm Leaving. For Real.

Yami was walking along the street with 2 briefcases instead of just 1 when he bumped into Melody.

"I must go to Egypt," Yami said.

"But, Yugi, why?" Melody asked.

"I've got to find out about my past."

"No, Yugi, you can't-"

"I must."

Melody started to cry. "You… can't! Tea will be beside herself!"

"Tell her I'll be gone for only six months."

"You've gotta be kidding." Melody ran off.

Bad News

"Tea, Tea!" Melody shouted when she got to Tea's house. "Tea!"

"What is it, Melody?"

"Yugi's leaving for Egypt! For six months!"

"_What_?!"

Tea called Joey and Melody called Tristan and Bakura and told them the news. They all gathered at Tea's house. "Six months is a long time."

"I miss Yuge already."

"Yeah, me too."

"Why'd that nut have to leave?"

He wanted to study Yami's past."

"Well, guys, he sure picked a night to do it."

Melody stood up. "I've got to go somewhere too, actually," she said, and left.

"Wonder how long they'll be gone," Joey said. The four just sat there, dumbfounded.


End file.
